Car-coupling



(No Model.)

J. LESSARD.

' GAR COUPLING. Y No. 555,384. Patented Feb. 25, 1896.

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UNITED STATES ATENT OEEICE.

JEREMIE LESSARD, OF OOHOES, NEV YORK.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 555,384, dated February25, 1896.

I Application filed Dember 26,1895. Serial No. 573,354. (No model.)

To CLZZ whom/ it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JEREMIE LEssARD, a citizen of the United States,residing at Cohoes, in the county of Albany and State of New York, haveinvented new and useful Improvements in Car-Couplings, of which thefollowing is a specification.

My invention relates to a carcoupling adapted to automatically couplewhen the cars come tog'ether and capable of being uncoupled either fromthe ground or from the car.

The invention consists in the features of construction and combinationof parts in a car-coupling, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the annexed drawings, illustrating my improvements, Figure 1 is a topview showing the ends of two cars coupled. Fig. 2 is an under plan viewshowing the coupling open. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a portion of acar-body fitted with the coupling. Fig. 4 is a vertical transversesection on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is an under plan view showinga modification of the mechanism for controlling the locking and theuncoupling of the coupling-knuckles. Fig. G is a horizontal section ofthe same in locked position.

The coupling to which my improvements relate is of the class sometimesdesignated as a twin-j aw coupler.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates a portion of thebody or framework of a car. The jaw-shaped draw-head has hinged to oneside of its outer portion a coupling-knuckle 3, the outer end of whichis vertically perforated and provided with a recess 4 and pin 5, so asto enable a car fitted with this coupling to be coupled to a car hatingthe ordinary pin-and-link coupling.

In order to hold the pivoted couplingknuckle 3 in an open position,ready for coupling with the draw-head of an approaching car, there isformed on the lower rear portion of each knuckle 3 a lug 6, whichoccupies a rearwardly-projecting position when the knuckle is opened orturned outward. To this lug 6 is secured one end of a spring 7, theother end of which is fastened to a projection S on the outside of thedraw-bar J beneath the car. On the under side of the jaw 2, and integraltherewith, is a stop 10, against which the lug 6 abuts when the knuckle3 is in its open position.

A finger 1l is formed integrally with and projects at right angles fromthe inner side of the knuckle 3 and is preferably somewhat curved, asshown. 'Vhen the knuckle 3 is open, this finger 11 projects across theface of the jaw 2, so that when the knuckle of another draw-head meetsit the linger 11 will be forced rearward and laterally into a recess 12,formed in the back and inner side of the coupling-jaw, thereby swingingthe knuckle 3 inward and into engagement with the knuckle of the otherdraw-head. In this position of the knuckle the linger 11 maybe held orlocked by a latch 13, Fig. 4, adapted to have a vertically-swingingmovement across the rear of the draw-head jaw. This latch 13 is pivotedat 14, Figs. 3 and 4, and is integral with a lever 15, extended to oneside of the car. The lever l5 being heavier than the latch 13, thelatter is held up by the force of gravity acting on the lever, and thusthe inner end of the latch is caused to interlock with the finger 11automatically when the iinger and knuckle are swung inward. The top ofthe latch 13 is formed with a curved or inclined face 16, Fig. 4, whichis engaged by the finger 11 as it is being pressed back in the act ofcoupling the cars, which allows the said linger to depress and pass overthe said latch, after which the lever 15 drops, thereby raising thelatch so that its inner end will assume a locking engagement with thenger and keep the knuckle 3 in closed position.

By raising the lever 15 the latch 13 will be depressed to release thefinger 11, and the spring 7 willthen act to throw the knuckle 3 open oroutward and effect the uncoupling of the cars. The lever 15 can bereadily operated from the ground, at the side of the car, without riskof injury to the operator.

There may be attached to the lever 15 a rod or chain 17 reaching to thetop of the car, or above the platform, so that the lever 15 may beoperated therefrom.

Under the draw-bar and transversely to the car is journaled a rock-shaft18 having a handle 19 on that side of the car which is opposite to thelever 15 and provided also with an arm 20 adapted, when the shaft 18 isrocked in the proper direction, to lift the lever 15,

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and so uncouple the cars. This rock-shaft 1S with its handle 19 and arm2O enables the coupling to be operated from the ground at either side ofthe car, on one side by the handle 19 and on the other side by the leverl5, directly.

A modification of the mechanism for controlling the locking anduncouplin g of the knuckles is shown in Figs. 5 and G. In this case alatch 2l is arranged to be swung horizontally against the pressure of aspring 22 adapted to hold the latch in normal locking engagement withthe finger 11 of a knuckle 3 when the latter is turned rearward. A lever23 is formed integral with the latch 2l and reaches to one side of thecar. Another lever 24 is pivoted at 25 beneath t-he ear and has at oneend a forwardly-proj ecting arin 2G adapted to bear against the lever 23and force it forward to compress the spring 22 and release the finger l1of the knuckle 8, whereupon the latter will be thrown outward by actionof the spring 7 to uncouple the cars, as before. The The handle 27 ofthe lever 2l is extended to one side of the car opposite the lever 23,and thus the coupling can be controlled from either side.

Vhat I claim as my invention is l. in a ear-coupling of the twin-jawtype, the combination of the draw-head jaw provided with the hingedcoupling-kn uckle hav ing a finger on its inner side and a lug on theunder side of its rear end, a spring having one end secured to said lugand its other end to the draw-bar, a stop on the draw-head jaw to engagesaid lug, a latch adapted to have a locking engagement with theknuckle-iinger, and a latch-lever extended to the side of the ear,substantially as described.

In a car-coupling of the twin-jaw type, the combination of the draw-headjaw having a recess formed in its back and one side wall, the hingedcoupling-knuckle having on its inner side a iinger adapted to enter saidrecess as the knuckle is swung rearward, a vertically-swinging latch toengage and lock back the said iinger and provided with a lever eX-tended to the side of the car, an upward-extended chain or rod connectedwith said lever, and a rock-shaft provided at one end with a handle andhaving an arm adapted to engage with the latch-lever, substantially asdescribed.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

J EREME LESSARD.

Vitnesses:

LnvE-RETTE D. HOGAN, JOHN PRovosT.

